Modern & Contemporary Art
  • ARTISTS
  • EXHIBITIONS
  • FAIRS
  • NEWS
  • CONTACT
  • STORE
  • BOOK YOUR VISIT
Modern & Contemporary Art
Modern & Contemporary Art
  • ARTISTS
  • EXHIBITIONS
    • CURRENT
    • UPCOMING
    • PAST
  • FAIRS
  • NEWS
  • CONTACT
  • STORE
  • BOOK YOUR VISIT
  • ARTISTS
  • EXHIBITIONS
    • CURRENT
    • UPCOMING
    • PAST
  • FAIRS
  • NEWS
  • CONTACT
  • STORE
  • BOOK YOUR VISIT

KOEN THEYS

0

Koen Theys

kt-17

KOEN THEYS (° 1963, Brussels) is one of the first artists in Belgium to artistically exploit the medium of video in the early 1980s. Productions such as the ambitious video work Diana (1984) and the interpretation of Richard Wagner’s Der Ring der Nibelungen (1984-1989) caused his international breakthrough.

One of Theys’ recurrent practices is to deconstruct art history’s great traditions and icons of our western culture and linking them to contemporary issues. He uses artistic methods like displacement, doubling, morphing… to visually manipulate certain well-known western icons or symbols to the point where they seem to be turning against themselves.

Identity in all its forms is one of the artist’s greatest focus. How people present themselves, what they choose to identify with, how (political) group-identities take over and function as a misguiding safe-haven, how the image of one’s self is the drive behind all ambition… and how all this can be very easily lost.

In his latest work, Diasporalia, which was commissioned by the Cathedral of Our Lady in Antwerp for the Year of the Baroque 2018, Theys thinks about the current refugee crisis. 12 unique refugee beds, complete with personal belongings, made entirely out of bronze.

+ view more

The sleeping refugees are missing from the scene, and it’s through their absence that we unavoidably reflect upon their identities. We only have the little remnants of a life in transit and our own imagination and empathy to imagine the personalities, feelings and struggles behind them.

Theys’ work has been shown all over the world and is part of public collections such as MOMA in New York, the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, the Nouveau Musée in Villeurbanne, the S.M.A.K. in Ghent, the M HKA in Antwerp, the Museum of Modern Art in Brussels, Le Casino in Luxembourg, … and many others.

www.koentheys.org

- view less

DOWNLOAD CV

SELECTED WORKS

 Burning Cars

Burning Cars

View more
0
 Arabian Nights (3)

Arabian Nights (3)

View more
0
 Arabian Nights (2)

Arabian Nights (2)

View more
0
 Arabian Nights (4)

Arabian Nights (4)

View more
0
 Wall of Man

Wall of Man

View more
0
 Diasporalia (Study)

Diasporalia (Study)

View more
0
 Background Vocals

Background Vocals

View more
0
 Vase (Green)

Vase (Green)

View more
0
 Vase (Gold)

Vase (Gold)

View more
0
 Vase (White)

Vase (White)

View more
0
 Vase (Pink)

Vase (Pink)

View more
0
 Vase (Silver)

Vase (Silver)

View more
0
 Vase (Blue)

Vase (Blue)

View more
0
 Abstraction

Abstraction

View more
0
 The Mining of the Natural Resources (2)

The Mining of the Natural Resources (2)

View more
0
 Tunnel I

Tunnel I

View more
0
 Chateau Classic

Chateau Classic

View more
0
 Room with a Double View

Room with a Double View

View more
0
 Het Vanitasrecord III

Het Vanitasrecord III

View more
0
 PATRIA

PATRIA

View more
0
 The Academy III

The Academy III

View more
0
 The Academy II

The Academy II

View more
0
 The Academy I

The Academy I

View more
0
 Stilleven met Appels I

Stilleven met Appels I

View more
0
 Death Fucking Metal (Red)

Death Fucking Metal (Red)

View more
0
 Death Fucking Metal (Yellow)

Death Fucking Metal (Yellow)

View more
0
 Death Fucking Metal (Blue)

Death Fucking Metal (Blue)

View more
0

NEWS

 Koen Theys’ Diasporalia at Drents Museum (NL)

Koen Theys’ Diasporalia at Drents Museum (NL)

05/02/2020

Koen Theys' installation Diasporalia, which was first introduced at the Cathedral of Our Lady, Antwerp, will be exhibited at the Drents Museum, Assen, The Netherlands.

View more
0
 Koen Theys & Nasan Tur at De Warande (BE)

Koen Theys & Nasan Tur at De Warande (BE)

11/12/2019

Koen Theys and Nasan Tur are part of the group show 'Lost in Translation' at De Warande, Turnhout (NL).

View more
0
 KOEN THEYS at KERAMIEKMUSEUM PRINCESSEHOF (NL)

KOEN THEYS at KERAMIEKMUSEUM PRINCESSEHOF (NL)

29/11/2019

Koen Theys's work Arabian Nights III is on view at the Keramiekmuseum Princessehof, Leeuwarden (NL).

View more
0
 Koen Theys at Bozar, Brussels (BE)

Koen Theys at Bozar, Brussels (BE)

16/11/2019

Koen Theys will show his latest film 'Another Day in Treaty Town' in world premiere, on the 8th of December at BOZAR, Brussels.

View more
0
 KETELEER GALLERY at Art Brussels 2019 (BE)

KETELEER GALLERY at Art Brussels 2019 (BE)

31/01/2019

KETELEER Gallery is proud to announce its first participation at Art Brussels37th, the international art fair in Brussels, Belgium.

View more
0
 KETELEER GALLERY at Code Art Fair, Copenhagen (DK)

KETELEER GALLERY at Code Art Fair, Copenhagen (DK)

29/06/2018

Keteleer Gallery is proud to announce its first participation at Code Art Fair; the international art fair in Copenhagen, Denmark. From 30 August till September 2, 2018 Picture: DO ART Agency - https://www.codeartfair.dk/.

View more
0
 Koen Theys ‘Diasporalia’ at the Cathedral of Antwerp (BE)

Koen Theys ‘Diasporalia’ at the Cathedral of Antwerp (BE)

19/05/2018

Koen Theys presents 'Diasporalia', his new installation commissioned by the Cathedral of Antwerp on the occasion of 'Antwerp Baroque 2018'.

View more
0
 Koen Theys at ‘ART’S BIRTHDAY’, M HKA, Antwerp (BE)

Koen Theys at ‘ART’S BIRTHDAY’, M HKA, Antwerp (BE)

17/01/2018

Koen Theys presents his video-installation 'The Dynamite Show'...

View more
0
 The Raft. Art is (not) lonely. in Ostend (BE)

The Raft. Art is (not) lonely. in Ostend (BE)

10/01/2018

A major group exhibition in Ostend, Belgium, curated by Jan Fabre and Joanna De Vos.

View more
0

EXHIBITIONS

 Koen Theys

Koen Theys


January 2022

KETELEER GALLERY

Pourbusstraat 3-5 - 2000 Antwerp



View more
0
 Group Exhibition

Group Exhibition


13.06 - 30.08.2020

KETELEER GALLERY

Pourbusstraat 3-5 - 2000 Antwerp



View more
0
 ART COLOGNE 2020 -> 2021

ART COLOGNE 2020 -> 2021

Cologne, Germany
17.11— 21.11.2021

View more
0
 Looking Forward

Looking Forward


07.12.2019 — 05.01.2020

KETELEER GALLERY

Pourbusstraat 3-5 - 2000 Antwerp



View more
0
 Art Brussels 2019

Art Brussels 2019

Brussels, Belgium
25.04 — 28.04.2019

View more
0
 Code Art Fair

Code Art Fair

Copenhagen, Denmark
30.08 — 2.09.2018

View more
0
 Koen Theys

Koen Theys

« Arabian Nights »
03.06 - 19.08.2018

KETELEER

Pourbusstraat 3-5 - 2000 Antwerp



View more
0
 Forever & Beyond

Forever & Beyond

« A Tale About Drawings »
20.05 - 02.07.2017

KETELEER

Pourbusstraat 3-5 - 2000 Antwerp



View more
0
 Koen Theys

Koen Theys

« What's the Point? Photographic works 1994 - 2014 »
22.10.2016 - 07.01.2017

KETELEER

Pourbusstraat 3-5 - 2000 Antwerp



View more
0

ITEMS IN STORE

Koen Theys – Diasporalia

€24,00 incl. VAT

Koen Theys – Home-made Victories

€34,50 incl. VAT

Koen Theys & Gülsün Karamustafa – Mystic Transport

€25,00 incl. VAT

< BACK TO ALL ARTISTS

KOEN THEYS2018-01-102021-02-12https://keteleer.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/2019_keteleer_logo2.pngKETELEERhttps://keteleer.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/koen-theys.jpg200px200px

FOLLOW US  FOLLOW KETELEER ON FACEBOOK  FOLLOW KETELEER ON INSTAGRAM  FOLLOW KETELEER ON ARTSY

SUBSCRIBE

© 2020 — KETELEER / LEGAL / CREDITS

×